A look at the sexual harassment allegations made against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and what's next for him

Hollywood kingpin and Democrat Party mega-donor Harvey Weinstein is turning fellow liberals into hypocrites at they join the battle to save his tattered reputation from claims he spent decades preying on Hollywood starlets, according to critics.

Anita Dunn, a key aide to President Obama, "counseled" the Tinseltown titan after The New York Times reported that the powerful movie producer sexually harassed Ashley Judd, Rose McGowan and at least six other starlets. And his attorney, Lisa Bloom - who is "tutoring" him on how to not act like a pig - built her reputation representing women who claim to have been on the other end of bad behavor.

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Harvey Weinstein is such a wonderful feminist that he has feminists Lisa Bloom and Anita Dunn fronting for his disgusting misogyny!— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) October 5, 2017 "Harvey Weinstein is such a wonderful feminist that he has feminists Lisa Bloom and Anita Dunn fronting for his disgusting misogyny!" tweeted New York Post pundit John Podhoretz.

Former White House communications director, Anita Dunn, is helping Harvey Weinstein with her public relations skills. (AP)

Weinstein, the co-founder of Miramax and producer of such megahits as "Shakespeare in Love," "Scream" and "Pulp Fiction," is in hot water after The New York Times published an investigative report citing several women accused him of sexual harassment throughout his decades in Hollywood.

But in a pre-emptive strike, Weinstein lawyered up with Bloom, and appears to have called in favors from Democratic Party movers and shakers. Among those Weinstein turned to was public relations expert Anita Dunn, who worked on Obama’s first campaign and briefly worked as White House communications director under the 44th president.

Dunn, managing director of K-Street firm SKDKnickerbocker, has not weighed in on Weinstein's tawdry behavior, but her firm released a statement acknowledging she came to the aid of Weinstein while others were condemning his actions and abuse of power.

“Anita was asked to speak with him by a friend," the statement read. "Harvey Weinstein and Miramax are not now and have never been clients of our firm or Anita’s. If you know Anita, you can only imagine what she said to him. Our commitment to defending women’s rights remains.”

"So is Anita Dunn advising Harvey Weinstein in her capacity as director at SKDKnickerbocker?" tweeted the Washington Free Beacon's Alex Griswold. "Terrible look if a Dem firm is spearheading."

So is Anita Dunn advising Harvey Weinstein in her capacity as director at SKDKnickerbocker? Terrible look if a Dem firm is spearheading.— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) October 5, 2017 Weinstein's hold on the Democratic Party is so strong that former first daughter Malia Obama even interned for him. He has thrown numerous fund-raisers for Democratic candidates at lavish homes on both coasts.

U.S. President Barack Obama strolls on the grounds of the Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Virginia, October 16, 2012, during a break in preparation for his second presidential debate against Mitt Romney scheduled for later on Tuesday. With Obama are political strategist Anita Dunn (R) and White House Senior Advisor David Plouffe. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS USA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION) - GM1E8AG1S5001

Whether Dunn read Weinstein the riot act or advised him on how to wriggle out of a jam is not clear, but the mere fact she would meet with him could raise eyebrows, given the shocking nature of the accusations.

According to the report from the Times, Weinstein sexually harassed numerous women that worked with him, Miramax and, later, The Weinstein Co. by propositioning them for massages, appearing naked or half-clothed and asking them to watch him bathe.

Weinstein is a major donor the Democratic Party and even held fundraisers for Hillary Clinton's campaign in 2016. Dunn mostly kept her ties to the Obama administration, even after leaving in 2009. She was a frequent visitor to the White House and helped Obama with debate prep in 2012.

Meanwhile, The Wrap reports that some Democratic officials in Washington are donating the money that Weinstein previously raised for them to charity.

_________________I haven't figured out how to the block thingy works but if anyone alters my posts I will become really, really angry and throw monkey poop out of my cage.

_________________I could be the catalyst that sparks the revolutionI could be an inmate in a long-term institutionI could dream to wide extremes, I could do or dieI could yawn and be withdrawn and watch the world go byWhat a waste...

The new revelation, which allegedly took place a decade ago, comes after an explosive New York Times report said Weinstein had previously settled eight sexual harassment claims.

Harvey Weinstein once trapped a woman in the hallway of a restaurant that was closed to the public and masturbated in front of her until he ejaculated, she says. The accusation comes a day after Weinstein was the subject of a bombshell New York Times report that revealed that he has settled at least eight sexual harassment claims.

The incident took place a decade ago, according to Lauren Sivan, who at the time was a news anchor on a local cable channel in New York, Long Island 12. She says the experience left her shocked, and that while she told friends privately what happened, she remained quiet because she was in a long-term relationship and fearful of the power that Weinstein wielded in the media.

Sivan told HuffPost about the incident with Weinstein in an on-record interview. A list of detailed questions was emailed to a Weinstein Company publicist. While the publicist acknowledged receiving the questions, multiple attempts to get a response were unsuccessful. In a text message, Lisa Bloom, Weinstein’s attorney, said Weinstein was not available for an interview.

The night of the incident started with Sivan meeting Weinstein and others at Cipriani, a well-known Italian restaurant in Manhattan. She later rode with him and others to Socialista, a Cuban-themed club and restaurant in which Weinstein and Giuseppe Cipriani, who was then the head of the Cipriani restaurant empire, were investors. Sivan noted to HuffPost that Weinstein’s car was “stocked full of cases of Diet Coke,” which she said she found to be odd. In a 2001 profile of Weinstein in New York Magazine, journalist David Carr noted that while sitting at a table, Weinstein had “three Diet Cokes on standby in front of him.”

Continued at above link

I've never heard of this Lauren Sivan before.....

And as for their hangout..."Socialista" Sounds about right for a rich left wing Hollyweird guy....

_________________The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money.- misattributed to Alexis De Tocqueville

No representations made as to the accuracy of info in posted news articles or links

Lawyer Lisa Bloom quits as an advisor for Weinstein a day after a third of the board of the Weinstein Company resigned...

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The lawyer Lisa Bloom said on Saturday that she had resigned as an adviser to Harvey Weinstein, the high-powered film producer facing allegations of rampant sexual harassment.

Her announcement came a day after a third of the all-male board of the Weinstein Company resigned, as the remaining board members announced that they had hired an outside law firm to investigate the allegations and that Mr. Weinstein would take an indefinite leave of absence.

“I have resigned as an advisor to Harvey Weinstein,” Ms. Bloom said on Twitter. “My understanding is that Mr. Weinstein and his board are moving toward an agreement.”

Ms. Bloom did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Lanny Davis, another adviser to Mr. Weinstein, is also no longer representing him, according to a person familiar with the matter. Mr. Davis declined to comment or elaborate on the reason for his departure. But the two men had disagreed over how to handle the sexual harassment allegations, with Mr. Davis advising a more conciliatory tone and approach than Mr. Weinstein seemed willing to adopt.

The allegations of harassment against Mr. Weinstein, which reach back decades, were revealed in an investigation by The New York Times published on Thursday. The investigation found that Mr. Weinstein had settled with at least eight women.

Mr. Weinstein apologized for his behavior and acknowledged that it had “caused a lot of pain.” But he also said that he intends to sue The Times for failing to give him enough time to respond to the allegations against him.

Danielle Rhoades Ha, a Times spokeswoman, said that Mr. Weinstein had been given two days to respond, and that his full statement had been published. “Mr. Weinstein and his lawyer have confirmed the essential points of the story,” she said. “They have not pointed to any errors or challenged any facts in our story.”

In a statement, four of the Weinstein Company’s remaining board members said that Mr. Weinstein’s leave of absence would begin immediately. The company will be led in his absence by his brother and co-chairman, Bob Weinstein, and David Glasser, the company’s president and chief operating officer.

“As Harvey has said, it is important for him to get professional help for the problems he has acknowledged,” the statement said. “Next steps will depend on Harvey’s therapeutic progress, the outcome of the Board’s independent investigation, and Harvey’s own personal decisions.”

Ms. Bloom, who had been advising Mr. Weinstein over the past year on gender and power dynamics, said during a television appearance Friday that his behavior had been inappropriate, and she agreed with an interviewer who characterized his reported actions as illegal.

“It’s gross, yeah,” Ms. Bloom said. “I’m working with a guy who has behaved badly over the years, who is genuinely remorseful, who says, you know, ‘I have caused a lot of pain.’”

She had previously described Mr. Weinstein as “an old dinosaur learning new ways.”

Ms. Bloom has in the past represented women who brought sexual harassment claims against Bill Cosby and the former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly.

This year, the Weinstein Company announced that it planned to work on a series of television and film projects about the life of Trayvon Martin, based on a pair of books about the teenager, one of which was written by Ms. Bloom.

_________________I could be the catalyst that sparks the revolutionI could be an inmate in a long-term institutionI could dream to wide extremes, I could do or dieI could yawn and be withdrawn and watch the world go byWhat a waste...

Jeez, what a grotesque looking guy. Sees like you just pay for it instead of offering to give actresses massages in your hotel room. Saying he is a "dinosaur" is not fair to the dinosaurs. None of them were that unattractive and very few of them had bigger heads.

_________________I haven't figured out how to the block thingy works but if anyone alters my posts I will become really, really angry and throw monkey poop out of my cage.

The Weinstein Company film studio announced Sunday that its directors have fired movie mogul Harvey Weinstein after the New York Times reported he settled sexual harassment lawsuits with at least eight women.

"In light of new information about misconduct by Harvey Weinstein that has emerged in the past few days, the directors of The Weinstein Company - Robert Weinstein, Lance Maerov, Richard Koenigsberg and Tarak Ben Ammar - have determined, and have informed Harvey Weinstein, that his employment with The Weinstein Company is terminated, effective immediately," the company's board of representatives said in a statement provided to Fox News on Sunday.

The dismissal comes after The New York Times reported Thursday that Weinstein has reached at least eight legal settlements with women over alleged harassment.

Weinstein's alleged inappropriate behavior with women in the last 30 years was detailed in the bombshell report. In it, actress Ashley Judd described being lured to Weinstein's hotel room, only to find him wearing a bathrobe and requesting sexual favors.

The report also detailed encounters Weinstein allegedly had with other women working for the Weinstein Company, as well as official settlements from people associated with him, including actress Rose McGowan, who was issued a $100,000 settlement that Weinstein specifically said was not an admission of guilt.

In the days since the allegations first surfaced, Weinstein has lost several key allies. His lawyer Lisa Bloom and advisor Lanny Davis resigned on Saturday and nearly one-third of the Weinstein Company’s board resigned on Friday, according to Variety. The report also alleges that his brother, Bob Weinstein and chief operating officer David Glasser, have been pushing for his firing. Both men are now in control of the company.

In wake of the report, many congressional Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Elizabeth Warren have given money they received as a donation from Weinstein to charity.

Weinstein and his family have given more than $1.4 million in political contributions since the 1992 election cycle, nearly all of it to Democratic lawmakers, candidates and their allies, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

“I came of age in the 60’s and 70’s, when all the rules about behavior and workplaces were different. That was the culture then. I have since learned it’s not an excuse, in the office – or out of it. To anyone. I realized some time ago that I needed to be a better person and my interactions with the people I work with have changed. I appreciate the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it…”

But Weinstein and his legal team have also have criticized the New York Times' report in statements and interviews. They also announced in the days after that he was intending to file a lawsuit against the newspaper for $50 million in damages.

"We are confident in the accuracy of our reporting," said a New York Times spokesperson in a statement. "Mr. Weinstein was aware and able to respond to specific allegations in our story before publication. In fact, we published his response in full."

_________________I could be the catalyst that sparks the revolutionI could be an inmate in a long-term institutionI could dream to wide extremes, I could do or dieI could yawn and be withdrawn and watch the world go byWhat a waste...

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